We know as parents and community members that we must prepare

our children to participate and grow in the world in which they live today.

We must also prepare them for the challenges that lie ahead in the future.

If we as a community fail to prepare our children, we are robbing them of

the tools and knowledge needed to succeed in the modern world. We have

a responsibility to prepare them to live in a world vastly different from the

one we live in today.

No component of modern life feels the affect of progression as

dramatically and as quickly as our education system. At every level and in

every community, from a rural kindergarten classroom to a computer lab in a

major university, teachers and students are grasping to understand and

implement new technologies. Modern and high-speed computers and

networks need to become as integral a part of the education system as it is now

in the modern and high-paying work environment. Teachers need the

latest training on computers and applications to enable them to educate and train

the students to apply and work in this present and future work place. We

cannot continue to use yesterday’s technology to train our children

for tomorrow’s professions.

This community needs to pass the technology levy this February in

order to make sure that our rural children continue to play on an even

playing field with urban children. We cannot allow our children to fall

behind the rest of the world in education just to protect “our” way of life. It is

because of our family and community way of life that we must move

forward when it comes to our children and their education. We must say Y2K (Yes

to Kids) in 2000. Please get out and vote for your children’s future this Feb. 29.

Chuck and Laura Johnson

Carnation